Love through Lycanthropy
by The Amazing Chris
Summary: Lycanthropy: In folklore, the magical ability of a person to assume the characteristics of a wolf. Complete. Thank you, everyone, for making my first real fanfiction a success.
1. Chapter 1

Hey. I am drumroll The Amazing Chris!!!

Genis: Who is much less amazing than he claims.

Me: Shut it you! I don't own ToS. If I did, Kratos wouldn't leave at the end.

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Warmth crept over Lloyd as light spread in the sky. He yawned widely, showing a set of teeth that were as white and straight as they came. But… perhaps it was a trick of the light, but they seemed rather… Sharp… Opening his eyes, he squinted in the sunlight. Groaning, he rolled over. An early riser he was not. His nose twitched… His eyes opened again, but there was light in them this time. BREAKFAST!!! He jumped up, throwing on his clothes then dashed over to the makeshift table that the group was using. He rather shocked Genis, who was in the act of flipping a pancake. Lloyd didn't notice however, because he was already at the table, panting almost doglike. He then noticed that Genis had a pancake in his (rather large) hair. "Hey, Genis!" he called, "You have a pancake in your hair!" Genis gave Lloyd a withering glance, which was slightly spoiled by the fact that there was dough dripping into his eyes.

"Really. Tell me something I don't know," he drawled sarcastically. "GAHH!!" he cried in desperation. "This is sticky!" Grumbling, he began the long journey to the stream to wash his hair. Fortunately, there was a large path to the stream, mainly because it was being used as a road. (The path, not the stream. Just wanted to clear that up.) Unfortunately, roads were public, so anybody could use them. And this morning, Presea did.

She watched as Genis walked towards the stream where she was sitting. She was partially screened by foliage, so Genis didn't see her. He walked the last steps to the stream and dunked his head in, shaking the remnants of pancake batter from his hair. Presea waited for him to raise his head back up. "There is still some batter in your eyebrows," she observed calmly, undoing her hair bands.

"Oh!" Genis exclaimed. "H-Hi Presea!" he turned and stopped dead, gaping at her. He had never realized she looked so nice with her hair down… He shook himself mentally and physically, spraying Presea with drops of water and batter. "O-oops!" he spluttered out, his cheeks turning red.

Presea raised an eyebrow in amusement. "There was only a 2 chance of rain today."

Genis laughed, enjoying the moment. After a few seconds, his smile dissipated. "Well, I'd better get back," he slowly relented.

"If you must…" Presea said.

"Well, I-I could stay too, if you want…" Genis replied, turning back hopefully.

"No, that wouldn't be a good idea," Presea said, letting a rare smile slip off her face. "I was planning on bathing…"

"Ah." Genis swiveled around and walked away slowly. Presea watched him go. She hadn't been planning on bathing. Why had she said that? Berating herself mentally, she sighed. It was just… she felt so nervous around Genis… Even now, her heart was pumping like crazy just thinking about him… She got up, and slowly made her way back to camp.

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Review please... be pals... Flame me if you must... 


	2. Chapter 2

Chris: Hey, I'm back with this long awaited update!

Genis: I'm sure you're ONE reviewer has been on her toes.

Chris: sweatdrop Shut up.

Genis: Just being devil's advocate.

Chris: Well, more people will see it now and cough REVIEW cough

Genis: Mhmm...

Chris: Without further ado, here's the story!

Genis: Wait, you forgot the disclaimer and the new character.

Chris sweatdrop Right... um, I added a character who shares my name, appearance, and personality... BUT THIS IS NOT A SELF-INSERT!!!! DON'T RUN!!!!

Genis: Chris doesn't own ToS, or me.

Chris: w00t! On with the story!

* * *

Deep in the Gaoracchia Forest…

Snarls sounded in the darkness… mysterious creatures wound their way through the trees, fed on blood-soaked bread and mysterious meats. Their master kept them for security… and meals. The animals regularly patrolled a small clearing, in the middle of which was an old, old, mansion. The man who lived in it was old as well, but not nearly as old as the house. This could be seen through the bulging muscular arms he possessed, as well as a thick black beard, and long scraggly hair. His name was Cain, but nobody knew that. He had only one acquaintance, his son-in-law Chris. Chris knew him as father, as his parents had died soon after he was born. Cain appeared almost immediately and asked for custody. The judge didn't want to hand over the young Chris to an old, mysterious man such as Cain, but by the law he had no choice. There were no other known relatives that Chris could stay with. Cain had made sure of that…

Genis made his dreary way back to camp, winding through the wooded edge of the Gaoracchia forest. Genis sighed and looked at a bluebird above him, who was singing a happy song, mocking Genis with every brightly trilled note. Genis plodded on, sighing. Then, he heard a crack, perhaps a twig snapping. There it came again. And again… Where were they coming from? He looked around, then realized the snapping was right…behind…him…

Lloyd's stomach grumbled. He was getting so hungry lately, and he couldn't figure out why. He got up, and made his way over to the fire, where Genis had been mixing another batch of pancake batter. "How hard can this be?" Lloyd thought to himself. He was about to pour some batter into the pan when Colette showed up.

"Can I help?" she asked, smiling mischievously.

"Sure!" Lloyd said, smiling back.

Colette came up behind him, drawing him into a tight hug. Lloyd smiled wider, and they ran off, giggling manically.

Regal awoke quickly, hearing a muffled scuffle (he he he) in the tent next to his. He jumped out of his sleeping bag and dashed over, ripping the tent flap open. Inside, he discovered Colette and Lloyd, clasped in a tight embrace, kissing and rolling around the floor. He replaced the tent flap with a smile. "Ah, to be young…" he said quietly to himself. He then went down to the river. Perhaps he would have a bath…

Raine woke soon after. She got her clothes on quickly when she realized Genis had left. She mentally berated herself. She wasn't usually a late riser. She was surprised to find the camp was empty, as she left her tent, squinting in the morning light. She then saw the pan, still sitting on the fire in a lonely sort of way. "Well, I suppose that leaves breakfast to me then," Raine said, walking over.

Genis froze. The crackling had stopped. He made to turn around, when…

"GOTCHA!" yelled a male voice. Genis braced himself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, a nearby bush was obliterated by the force of Zelos jumping into it. Genis rolled his eyes. How stupid was it possible to be? He was nowhere near the bush. But he realized his mistake when he heard frantic laughing.

"Get off, Zelos!" a female voice yelled.

"No," Zelos said, smiling. "I found you, ha-ha! Some ninja you are."

Genis sidled behind a tree. If Sheena was really angry, he did not want to be seen. He waited for the explosion of yelling and Zelos getting slapped, but it never came. Sheena giggled, and Genis' jaw dropped. That was the last thing he would have expected.

He poked his head out, just to see Zelos move in, kissing Sheena. Surely this meant a slap, Genis thought to himself. But no, Sheena seemed to have no objections. Genis walked away. He could really do without seeing them get together. He swore at Zelos in his head. How did he do it so easily? He walked back towards the camp, grumbling. He smiled a twisted smile to himself. All he needed was to go back to camp now and discover Colette and Lloyd making out, and his day would be perfect, he bitterly muttered. (That's a tongue twister by the way)

Cain heard a knock on his office door. "Come in," he said. He knew who it was. Nobody else lived here, after all.

Chris walked into the room. "Father," he said, "is it supper soon? I'm ravenous."

"Yes," Cain acknowledged.

"Oh," Chris replied slowly. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Minutes later, a hairy, wolf-like beast climbed into Cain's office window, clutching a dead fox in its hand. "Dinner," came a snarl.

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Well, if you could REVIEW I will probably love you forever. Unless you're a man. Because I consider that creepy. No offence to anyone oriented as such... anyway, I'm rambling. Review Please! Next update comes after 10 reviews! (KIDDING) 


	3. Chapter 3

Me: Due to obsession, I am updating again! This has little to do with the Tales Characters, sorry! But I hope you'll like it anyway. It's much darker.

Genis: Eeeeeemooooooo...

Me: Oh yeah. Shut up braniac.

Genis: Whatever.

Me: I don't own ToS, or Genis, or even myself. On with the show!

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A morning 14 years ago.

Meltokio.

A young couple, entranced by the city and young love, watched the sun rise from their apartment's balcony. They were in each other's arms, gazing into each other's eyes as though the entire world was there, and they were gazing on its wonder. Small noises sounded from the crib on the floor, but it didn't bother them. How could it? They were noises of new life, their only son. Nothing could break the magic of this moment…

Scratch Scratch… the noise was harsh and slow, akin to a teacher scraping her nails across a chalkboard. The father appeared puzzled, and broke the embrace. He walked to the door, scratching growing louder every moment. He reached for the handle…

Present Day.

Things were largely growing out of control in the camp. Raine was sweating in the heat of the fire. "Damn," she said loudly. She had managed to drop the batter into the fire, completely destroying it, and knocking the pan in along with it. She was fishing it out now, or at least trying to. She managed to hook the pan with the end of a stick, and launched it out of the blaze. Letting out a sigh of relief, she turned to the cookbook. Now where was the pancake batter…?

Genis was fuming. He clenched and unclenched his fists, along with his teeth. Why? Why did everyone get what they wanted, except him! He stomped along the path, sending small woodland creatures running for cover.

Woodland creatures of a whole different kind covered the floor of the forest. Snarling, they lashed at each other, making a terrible racket. The inhabitants of the house didn't notice, however. Cain picked over the remainders of a fox. It was very odd, as he seemed to have sprouted a very thick beard in the last few minutes. Chris looked at him oddly. He knew beards grew, as he was getting some hair himself. But surely not so fast… Cain was doing his own observing. He looked up from the fox and looked over at Chris. "My son…" he began slowly. "There is something I need to tell you… About our history, and our future." Chris looked over oddly.

"Go on…" he said.

"Do you know," Cain began, "about lycanthropy?"

14 years ago.

The knob turned, and immediately the scratching stopped. He opened the door, to see a postman with a magnificent beard. Actually, he was hairy all over… All of a sudden, he realized what was going on. He made to close the door, but the postman wedged an arm in, which was rapidly growing hair. "Your father, Cain, wishes to see you…"

"I have no desire to see him whatsoever!" the man screamed in a panic.

"A pity…" said the postman-creature. Then he leapt at the man's throat, teeth gnashing.

The police arrived around a week later, when the neighbors had noticed a funny smell. They investigated the apartment, and discovered the skeletons of two adult humans. The smell became obvious, as they were covered in saliva. Tests were sent to the downtown lab. And were discovered to have human DNA… But no human characteristics. There was nothing to compare, so there was no suspects. The investigators combed the entire apartment, but only found traces of blood that had been the couple's. They saved the balcony for last. Regal Bryant opened the doors. It was his first day as a CSI. The job was his father's passion. He sighed, but was cut off by a gurgling noise. He looked down at the crib, which was coated in saliva. Inside, he saw a tiny baby boy, who had apparently survived by drinking the saliva. "You're one lucky kid…" Regal said slowly. He picked him up, and toweled him off. "We got a survivor!" he yelled.

Present Day.

Chris looked up at his master's beard. "You mean to say that…"

"Yes." Cain said. "I am a lycanthrope. I have noticed you looking at my beard…"

Chris looked down, ashamed.

"No, do not be ashamed," Cain said, chuckling. "You are a smart boy. That was how I raised you." His beard retracted into his face. Chris stared in astonishment. Cain laughed.

"Father…" Chris said tentatively. "Does this mean that I… I…."

Cain smiled. "Yes, you are. Do not worry, it is mainly painless. Being a lycanthrope is a great thing, Chris."

"But… how does one become a lycanthrope? Is it genetic or… or what?" Chris asked.

"Very good question," said Cain. "No, it is not. The gene needs to be spread by an adult lycanthrope. Through saliva, or… other bodily fluids…" Cain said with a grimace.

"But, why am I not… well, you know…"

Cain smiled. "The effect doesn't take place until puberty. This, for lycanthropes, is age 14."

14 years ago.

Regal Bryant was infuriated. Not a normal mood for him. "What do you mean, hand him over! There has to be a choice! We can't just hand him over to a creepy old man like that!"

His boss frowned. "This is very inappropriate behavior, Regal."

"I don't care!" Regal screamed back. "That guy, Cain, kicked out his son for no reason! AND NOW YOU SAY YOU HAVE TO GIVE CAIN THE GRANDSON!!! This is an abomination! He could just kill the kid!

Frowning deeper, his boss looked up at Regal. "He has a home, income, and a livelihood. More than the child would have in an orphanage."

Regal fired back. "But that doesn't mean."

His boss cut him off. "No. I don't want to hear another word. You're a bright kid, but I won't stand for this. I don't want to fire you. So get out of here before I have no other choice!

They had a stare down, which ended with Regal ripping off his CSI badge. "Fine. I quit." He said, throwing it on the table. He walked out of the office and never looked back…

Present Day

Cain observed his grandson across the table. Any minute now...

Chris stared back. 14… that meant…

A searing pain ripped through every muscle in Chris's body. He let out a cry that was more animal than human. He fell on the floor, fur growing rapidly. His face extended, teeth growing fast, snout turning black. Moments later, the pain… stopped. Chris sniffed, and then howled. Cain laughed a laugh of unrestricted joy. Chris's fur was receding now, and was rapidly returning to human shape. He shivered on the floor. Cain walked over. The boy had had a rough night. This was proved by the fact that he was fast asleep on the floor. Cain picked up the boy and carried him into his bed. He smiled. Now, it began.

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Hope you liked it, keep reviewing, it gives me strength. P


	4. Chapter 4

Genis: You updated twice today. Is that healthy?

Me: I DONT CARE!!!! THIS STORY IS AWESOME!!!! READ IT AND REVIEW!!! MUAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!

Falls on floor, sprouting hair.

Genis: Talk about getting into your role... He doesn't own ToS or me.

* * *

Chris awoke with an ache in his muscles. "Oooh," he moaned.

Cain was next to him, smiling. "Drink this," he said, offering a cup of tea.

"Thanks," Chris said, taking the cup. He swallowed it down in one gulp. "My head feels…"

Cain smiled. "I know, I know. It happened to me too. Listen, as soon as you feel ready, meet me in my laboratory. I have something to show you." With that, he left the room, closing the door silently.

Chris lay in his bed, feeling the tea wash away the pain in his muscles. He sighed, and then got up. He was still stiff, (another tongue twister) but his curiosity overrode his soreness. He slowly made his way through the door, and was surprised to find Cain on the other side. He felt himself getting turned around. "No way," Cain said. "You need rest. My information can wait until you're ready." Chris walked back in, and fell onto his bed, already snoring.

Genis saw smoke. Too much smoke… "Damn," he said, pulling out his kendama. He ran into camp, finding Raine tending to a blazing fire. "What are you doing?" he yelled.

Raine bit her lip. "I was making pancakes…" she started. "But they wouldn't brown, so I… I thought it needed a bigger fire…"

"Pancakes don't BROWN!" Genis yelled indignantly. "You have to, AARGH!" he yelled in disgust. "IS THAT FISH??????" He stomped off. Where was Lloyd when he needed him? He stormed into Lloyd's tent, discovering… well… Genis turned red. Like, really red. Tomato red. Beet red. As red as you are after waiting this long for me to get the heck on with the story. His voice dripped menace. "Everyone here needs to…Cool…OFF!!!"

Regal walked into the camp, to witness the remnants of an Ice Tornado. Genis sat in the middle of it all, with a huge bump on his head. Raine was brandishing her staff after hitting Genis in the head, and there were chunks of ice and half burnt firewood everywhere. Lloyd and Colette poked their heads out of an upside-down tent, looking rather shell-shocked. Regal picked up a few chunks of ice and firewood, only to have them lifted out of his hands by Genis. "I'll get that," he said, using some wind and fire magic to melt the ice and reassemble the fire and tents. He walked out of the camp. "I need to get out of here," Genis said. Regal looked around at the newly reassembled camp.

"I suppose I had better get cooking," Regal said in a final sort of way.

Chris awoke. It was still early in the morning, but the pain was gone. He launched himself down the stairs to the lab. Cain smiled. "Good," he said. "Now, let me tell you about my plan… my plan that will change everything…"

Chris looked up. "Okay…"

Cain smiled. I have heard from my… sources…

Chris interrupted. "Other werewolves?"

Cain sighed. "No, I'm afraid the only lycanthropes left in existence are the two in this room. My brother passed away only a few years ago…"

Chris lowered his eyes again. He had heard about this man, but was too young at the time to remember him.

The pain in Cain's eyes disappeared. "Yes, he died. But, he did a great thing before he died… He gave you your gift… You see, a werewolf can only spread the gene once in his or her life…"

Chris frowned. "Does that mean that… after you pass it on… you… die?" The words croaked at the end.

Cain smiled. "No, his death was unrelated. He was rather old you know…"

Chris's face returned to normal. "Oh. Good. So anyway, what's this big plan of yours?

Cain laughed. "What do you know about the Chosen?"

Chris answered, "Well, I know his purpose, and all that…"

Cain smiled again. "Good. Well, the Chosen's group is near the forest at this moment… And nothing would give our race a boost like having the Chosen… join us…"

Chris's eyes opened wide. "You mean…"

"Yes," Cain answered back. I have already spread the gene to a young man in the Chosen's group. A man named Lloyd."

Chris opened his eyes. "So you want me to…"

Cain smiled. "Yes. Go to them. Spread the gene. I know it won't be easy, but…"

Chris nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Cain responded. "Then go. They are due south of here. And, by the way… You may find the journey quicker if you… change…"

Chris frowned. "How am I gonna,"

"Calm yourself…" Cain said. "Enter your mind… Find the beast… and unleash it."

Chris frowned, and did as Cain said. It was as though there was a tugging in his head, begging to be set free. He unleashed the power, and it coursed through him, which was equally the most terrible and beautiful thing he had ever experienced. He felt the fur growing. He let out a howl, an animal cry, and ran to the door. He felt more powerful than he ever felt possible. He leapt out of the house and howled again, running full tilt towards the unwary travelers.

* * *

Genis: Why am I a spazz in this chapter?

Chris: ITS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT WORSE GENIS OLD BOY!!!!!!! YOU'RE GIRLFRIEND'S GONNA GET

Future me fires a cotton batton gun into my mouth

Chris: GEEEFFF HIIIIIAAACHHHHHEEEE

Genis: Review lots, so that he can recover and get me out of suspense...

Falls on floor twitching.

I join him from lack of air.


	5. Chapter 5

Me: Because of your love of my story and commitment to reviews, I have resolved to write more. I'm on spring break, but it's my last day today, so I won't be able to update as much. I'll try!

Genis: You could update even more if you would let ME work on that time machine.

Me: Grrr... NO!

I get sparked by a wire

Me: AAAAH!!! HELP ME!!!!

Genis and I switch spots.

Me: Phew. Ok. So, due to my poor authoring skills, I didn't mention a bag. But there was one. Now Chris has it.

Genis: Idiot... This is attatched backwards! Which moron made these plans!

Me: He He. The Internet is a wonderful place... I don't own ToS or Genis, or the illegal copy of the plans for this time machine. Please REVIEW!

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2 months ago.

Triet.

Lloyd was exhausted. He and Genis had looked all over town for Colette, to no avail. They came to the hotel. "Okay, Genis, you take the hotel, I'll take the restaurant." Genis nodded, and walked off. Lloyd moved into the restaurant, to find it completely empty, other than a lone figure over at the bar. Lloyd walked over to the man. Bartenders usually had some good information…

"Hey," Lloyd began. "Did the Chosen pass through here?

The man looked at him oddly, running his fingers through his thick black hair. "Who are you to be asking?" came the question.

"I'm uh… a friend of the Chosen," Lloyd continued. "Did she come through?"

"Sit down," the mysterious bartender said. "I'll tell you what I know."

"Great!" Lloyd replied. "What's your name?"

"Uh… Abel," the bartender said quickly. He turned around and went to the drink counter to cover the awkward silence. Lloyd didn't notice. Abel sighed.

The bartender poured two drinks. Lloyd didn't notice, but a small vial of a clear liquid was poured into his mug as well. The bartender turned around, holding both of the drinks. He put one in front of Lloyd and one in front of himself. "Here, drink it," the bartender said. "On the house."

"Thanks!" Lloyd said brightly. He took a swig of the concoction in the mug. It was surprisingly good…

"Abel" took a gulp from his mug. Running his fingers through his long, thick beard, he said, "Well, there was a bit of commotion over at the east side of town… Something about a damaged wall…." He paused to take a swig of his drink. He waited until Lloyd did the same, and then continued. "This one's less definite, but I heard tell that they may have gone to see a certain fortune teller…"

"I see," Lloyd said, taking another swig. "Where can I find the fortune teller?"

The bartender smiled, showing a set of sharp, white teeth. "Due south from here."

"Thanks," Lloyd replied. He took a last gulp from his mug, and then set it down. "Oh, and for the drink too."

"It was my pleasure," replied the bartender, smiling wider. "I hope you find your friend…"

Lloyd didn't answer, but walked out of the bar.

Cain laughed, for of course it was he. "Good." He quickly left the bar by the back way.

Lloyd grimaced, a sour taste filling his mouth. The drink was good, but it had a terrible aftertaste…

Present day.

Chris leaped through the bush, twigs snapping. He snagged a squirrel that was running for cover. "Yum…" came a snarl. He stowed it in his bag. A small part of him, his conscious self, screamed to get control. The wolf screeched to a stop, hair already receding. It stood up on two legs, and its claws receded, becoming regular hands. The newly reformed human sighed. He brought the bag around. He may as well see what was in it…

_My son,_

_This is a small note that I attached, to fill you in. A small piece of advice. Before spreading the gene, I would recommend you gain the trust of Lloyd. Once you feel he trusts you enough, tell him. As for the gene, well, you will obviously need to be very… Intimate… with the said person, as you can't just slip it in the group's supper, as it will not take affect. Good luck with that. I recommend a girl, as racial diversity is greatly to be desired in… Influencing the rest of the group. Be wary! Not everyone can be trusted._

_Now. The contents of this bag are my birthday gift to you. I have not been the best father… But I am proud of you. The contents of this bag are weapons… do not confuse them. They will give you the strength and agility of a lycanthrope when changing is not possible. Instructions for their use are on the back…_

_Regards,_

_Your Father, Cain_

Chris went through the bag, pulling out what appeared to be two gauntlets, two greaves, a black padded bodysuit, and a helmet. He followed the instructions, putting the bodysuit on under his clothes. He noticed that his normally baggy clothes fit much better overtop this suit. He studied his reflection in a pond. He looked stronger somehow. His muscles seemed much more toned. He smiled at himself, and then started attaching the gauntlets and greaves. He saved the helmet for last. He put it on, and it felt like a second skin. He smiled at himself. The greaves were black, with yellow trimming. They extended all the way down to his toes, and at the end of them were three large claws. The gauntlets were very similar, but with an extra claw for his thumb. The helmet completed the ensemble, with black casing, an elongated nose covering. Chris supposed that would be for if he wore it while transformed.

"Father… Thank you," he said, words choking.

There was silence for a moment… Then… "_Well isn't this a touchy-feely moment."_

_

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_

Me: I promise, Chris will meet the rest of the group next chapter. I also promise it will be up before the end of the week.

Genis: I just gotta calibrate this... Ok. Done.

Me: Great! I'm off to the past to stop me from revealing secrets! Bye!

Warps off

Genis: Oops...


	6. Chapter 6

Me: I have navigated time and space to come back to this time, no thanks to this crummy time machine.

Genis: If I may quote you, "Isn't the Internet a wonderful place?"

Me: Shut up.

Genis: Hahaha. Hey, this chapter's pretty big.

Me: Yeah, with me recovering from surgery, I've got nothing else to do.

Genis: Major surgery?

Me: Nah, just had a couple teeth pulled.

Genis: Cool.

Me: Oh, and for all of you reading this story and not reviewing (which is everyone except Pheonix's Feathers and YZT) SHAAAAME!!!

Genis: The Amazing Chris doesn't own ToS or me.

Me: Great. Oh, and sorry about this PF...

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Chapter 6: in Which Chris completely rips off the Green Goblin

Presea slowly stripped off her clothing, sinking into the stream. She hadn't been planning on taking a bath, but her conversation with Genis reminded her of what a nice day it was, so she decided, what the heck. A small fish swam by, winding its way through her legs as though they were tree roots. Presea smiled. Nothing like a small creature to remind her of… her mortality, she grimly realized, as a bigger fish ate the small one. She picked up the bigger fish, slinging it onto her axe which was left by the side of the stream. It would make a good meal, she grimly thought.

Chris whirled around. "Who's there!" he yelled across the lake. A fisherman poked his head out of a bush, and seemed about to apologize, when Chris heard something else.

_"Calm down buddy boy, it's only me."_

"Who the hell are you?"

The fisherman seemed about to say something again, but thought better of it, and just watched events unfold.

_"Why did I have to get paired with an idiot? Look down."_

Chris looked into the water, seeing his own reflection.

"Don't be stupid. There's nothing there."

_"Wow, I am paired with an idiot."_

Chris looked puzzled. His face furrowed in what looked like anger. (The fisherman was pretty shocked too. Thought I should mention him) But then, his eyebrows shot up like…. (Insert witty metaphor here) … "You don't mean…"

_"Took ya long enough," _The Chris in the pond said with an evil grin.

"So you're my… wolf bit?" Chris said, growing a little more confused with every second.

_"Give the boy the million dollars!"_

"Oh, shut up. So, do you get control of the wolf body, and I the human body?"

_"Yep, that pretty much covers it. I'm hungry. Where's that squirrel I snagged for ya?"_

Chris pulled a face. "That's disgusting!"

The fisherman looked at his most recent catch. It wasn't that bad…

_"No, you're disgusting. Look at those lanky limbs. You'd be no good in a fight."_

"Are you asking to get punched?"

The fisherman at this point covered his head with his arms.

_"I don't have the body right now so… yeah, knock yourself out. I mean that literally."_

Chris scowled deeper. "I can't believe I'm arguing with myself."

_"Believe it, bud."_

"Well, I'm going downstream. Are you with me?"

_"For life, to my misfortune." _The Chris in the pond threw back his head and laughed. Chris was rather disturbed to find him doing the same, and although he made no noise, a ringing laugh sounded out. The duo walked out, with the wolf self now bombarding the boy self with corny jokes, leaving a very shocked fisherman in their wake.

Things were fast approaching normal in the camp. Lloyd and Colette had calmed themselves down, and seemed content to sit at the table, holding hands and talking. Raine was feverishly taking notes on everything Regal was doing, as he prepared blueberry pancakes. Zelos came over the hill, dragging a bewildered Sheena behind him. "Do I smell pancakes?" he yelled out.

Regal smiled, setting the pancakes on the table. "We only need Presea, and everyone will be here."

Zelos whipped his head around, and not seeing a certain mop of white hair, said "How bout the kid? Where's he?"

An uncomfortable silence ensued. Nobody said anything until Sheena broke the silence. "Yeah, where?"

An even longer silence. Zelos rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you forgot him already! Little half-elven dude, bout yea high," raising his arm to about the height of the table. "Uses magic, has a crush on Presea, Ooh, speak of the devil, is that her?" he said, pointing at a small figure on the horizon.

Using her superior half-elven vision, (Why are half-elf eyes superior? They just are. Keep reading and stop asking dumb questions) Raine peered at the figure. "No, it can't be. It seems more like two people…

"Presea and Genis?" Colette said cheerily. (Actually, she probably doesn't talk any other way)

"No, one of them is far too tall… Hmm…"

Everyone was asking the same question. Who the heck were those two?

Chris neared the stream. It would have been a tranquil setting, except…

_"Knock Knock."_

Chris groaned.

_"Oh c'mon this one's good. Knock Knock."_

"Who's there?"

_"Some naked chick."_

Chris groaned again. Not another vile innuendo…

_"No, seriously. Look!"_

Presea stopped moving for a second. She heard a sound. Was it… groaning?

Chris felt his double's eyes moving toward the stream. (I'd explain this, but it takes a lot of math) He followed, and saw… a beautiful figure climbing out of the stream, with her back to him. (Good for this story's T rating, bad for Chris) She wrapped a towel around herself, much to wolf-Chris's dismay, and clothed herself quickly. Chris ignored the wolf, which wanted to run over and ravish her, and just stared. Long pink hair, down to her shoulders, a small petite frame… He sighed.

Presea heard another noise. She turned her head sideways, but seeing no one, relaxed. At least she was fully clothed this time.

Chris's wolf self was screaming bloody murder at him for not running over there and eating her, or at least… well… you know…(I'd go into more detail, but I want this to stay T, after all) However, the wolf's screaming abruptly stopped when Presea picked up a GIGANTIC axe.

_"Oh. Looks like your girlfriend isn't a pretty princess."_

Chris frowned. "She is not my girlfriend!"

_"Better be careful. I'm pretty sure you said that out loud…"_

Presea frowned. It sounded like a conversation was going on, but she couldn't pick out the words. She turned around anyway, just in case…

"She is NOT my girlfriend!" Chris furiously thought back.

_"Hold up there, Mr. Hormones," _Wolfie replied. _"Don't look now, but I think we've been discovered…"_

Chris looked anyway, to discover Presea (duh) looking back at him. Figuring his cover was blown, he stepped out of the bush.

"Greetings!" Chris called out.

_"Ooh, nice pickup line. I'm sure you're a hit in the night clubs."_

"Will you shut up?" Chris furiously replied. To his misfortune, this was out loud. Presea looked at him oddly. "Sorry, just talking to myself," he added quickly. Presea's odd look disappeared slowly.

_"She doesn't know the half of it,"_ Wolf-boy said, sending a ringing laugh bouncing through Chris's cranium. Boy-Chris mentally yelled at the wolf to shut up, to be rewarded with a mental image of a wolf making a zipping motion across his snout. Which was rather disconcerting, Chris thought, turning back to Presea.

"Um… do you know a place where there is a bridge?" Chris questioned.

Presea nodded. "About 10 miles east," she said calmly.

"That won't do…" Chris said, almost mumbling.

"Well, if the need is pressing," Presea said, being cut off by a tree being cut off, and falling across the stream. Chris raised his gauntleted hand. "Cool…" he said very quietly.

Presea smiled. A rare thing that she did around strangers, but this one seemed different. Besides which, "We seem to think the same," she said aloud.

Chris hopped onto the bridge, and walked across, showing great balance. He pulled off his helmet, so he could talk a little better. This also cut off his communication with Wolf-Chris, and although he didn't know this, he enjoyed the silence immensely. "Well, thanks…" he said, unwilling to leave. "I'm Chris," he added.

Presea nodded. "I'm Presea…" followed by a long silence. "You know…" she slowly relented. "I have a camp near here… do you want some breakfast?"

Chris smiled wider. "I would love some. Thanks for the offer."

Presea nodded, but her mind was turmoil. They started down the path towards the camp, climbing a hill. What was she doing? This wasn't normal, inviting complete strangers like that. But, she had this overwhelming urge to trust Chris. Besides, she thought, turning to watch Chris stow away his helmet and gauntlets, he was so handsome…

Chris was thinking happy thoughts. Breakfast, a cute girl, no annoying voice in his head, what could go wrong? He stowed his gauntlets and helmet in his bag, and then noticed the dead squirrel. "Ew," he thought, closing the bag. Better to leave the bag closed…

Presea gazed at Chris's hand. It was so close… yet so far… Should she, or shouldn't she? Too late, her mind said, you did.

Chris felt a warm soft hand in his. He looked down in surprise, finding Presea holding his hand. He smiled. That was a nice surprise. Presea smiled too, and they continued walking towards camp… unaware that they were being watched. Life would have been a whole lot easier for Chris had Genis not been nearby, cooling off. He saw Presea walking with Chris. He followed them, wondering who this guy was. And then… he saw Presea reach for his hand… and him take it. Genis's face turned completely white. He watched them walk out of sight, arm in arm. Maybe he would just go kill himself…

* * *

Genis: I hate you.

Me: He he. Feel the love!

Genis: If you have me kill myself, I'll kill you.

Me: HAHAHA!!! YOU CAN'T!!! CUZ U'D BE DEAD!!!!

Genis: Not if I... KILL YOU NOW!!!

Me: AAAH!!! REVIEW PLEASE!!!

Runs off


	7. Chapter 7

Genis: Did you know you are insane?

Me: He he. Due to the fact that all of my reviewers are Gesea fans, I have decided to save Genis's life.

Genis: I also threatened to kill you if you didn't.

Me: Heh Heh...

Genis: You do realize that you are updating before your story is out of the #1 slot...

Me: SO!!! I DON'T CARE!!! I DON'T OWN ToS!!!!

* * *

Chapter 7: in which the gang has Pancakey adventures

Raine's superior vision scoped out the two figures. "Hmm… one of them seems to be Presea… but I can't make out who the other one is…"

Zelos was literally panting. "Listen," he said. "My brain is curious, but my stomach is obsessed. I'm EATING!" he yelled out. He reached out a fork, and…

TING! The harsh metal sound of two forks clashing grated the eardrums of everyone present. Lloyd scowled, as it was he who had the other fork. Zelos's fork jabbed at the pancake, to be knocked out of his hand by Lloyd. Lloyd frowned deeper, then stabbed some pancakes. He lifted them off the stack, and placed them on his plate.

"Let's eat then!" Colette said slightly less cheerily, as Lloyd's hand had let go of hers in order to grab his fork.

"I like the sound of that!" came a voice. The mysterious guest had arrived.

Genis considered stabbing himself, strangling, drowning, slow death by torture, being eaten to death by ants, skinned, boiled, or poked to death by a tribe of bloodthirsty spear wielding midgets, but there was no knife, rope, means of holding himself underwater, automatic torture machines, anthills, potato peelers (So what?), pots of boiling oil, or tribes of bloodthirsty spear wielding midgets around. (No, I do not know where that came from) There was just a field. Genis sat down smack dab in the middle of the field, and thought dark thoughts, wishing dark curses upon this mysterious man and his girl-stealing ways. But then he thought better. It was hardly this guy's fault he was attracted to Presea. He wasn't "with" Presea in that way yet anyhow. So, it was obvious, Genis concluded. All he had to do was show this guy that he was already with Presea, and all would be well and good and this weird guy would leave. Genis's happy conclusion paused for a moment… Then came crashing down around his ears. He had just remembered that he wasn't actually "with" Presea… "Grr," he growled, giving a good impression of a werewolf. This meant that he would have to do the unthinkable… Break them up. "It won't be that bad," he told himself. "They aren't really together anyway." He began walking back to camp, ignoring that one nagging doubt. Presea had reached for the other guy's hand…

"And who are you?" Raine deadpanned.

"Chris," he deadpanned right back. Chris could already tell that they were probably the two straightest talkers at this table…

Raine and Chris ping-ponged back for a while, until Raine seemed satisfied. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt…" she said slowly.

"Cool," Chris said, unflappable. He sat down next to Presea.

After a few moments of pancakey goodness, Chris decided to break the silence. "Who made these? They're fantastic!" This was true even for someone who hadn't lived on meat for the last 14 years.

Regal smiled widely. "I did," he said in that modest way of his.

Chris's response was unusual for the assembled group. He immediately stood up and bowed low in Regal's direction. Regal's eyebrow rose. Chris looked around at the faces all around him, giving him odd looks. "What?" he said slowly. "Is there something on my face?" The tense moment was broken as everyone laughed. Even Raine and Regal chuckled a bit, which was saying something. Meanwhile Chris made a mental note to himself. "No bowing. Got it." Sitting down, he continued aloud, "So what are all your names? I've only met Presea here."

"I'm Lloyd!" came the enthusiastic response from a kid clad in red. So this was the one Cain had spread the gene to… hmm…

"Colette," came the cheery (Always cheery, I'm telling you. Scary.) response from the girl next to Lloyd.

"The sexiest person at this table, Zelos!" came a reply from a tall, redheaded fellow. Chris's werewolf senses detected more than a hint of cologne from this guy… Most likely was insanely narcissistic, Chris thought as Zelos examined his reflection in a spoon.

Sheena opened her mouth, and Chris turned to her. Something in his mind stirred… "Raine," came the blunt response from the other side of the table. Chris shook his head a bit. "We've met," he said absentmindedly, still looking in Sheena's direction. Something in his mind was snapping at its chains, it took all his boy-self's self-control in order to stop himself from leaping and eating her… Or worse, he grimly thought, as an image of a wolf stalking around a tied up Sheena slunk through his mind.

"Sheena." This time the wolf went mad with lust and hunger. Chris closed his eyes and fought back, turning his head away. Amazingly, nobody noticed this, as the motion brought him towards Regal, who was sitting on the other side of the table, next to Presea.

"Regal," came the calm voice, and this subdued the beast somewhat, but also allowed Chris to look past Presea, who's image gave him some comfort. The wolf in his mind rolled its eyes.

"Ah, so you are the master who made these pancakes," Chris said with a smile.

"It's my recipe," came a small, cold voice from behind Chris. He turned, and was looking into the eyes of Genis. Chris looked around the table.

"Am I in your spot?" he asked, keeping his composure, which was impressive considering the look coming out of Genis's eyes.

"Yes," Genis said flatly, doing a good imitation of his sister.

"Oh, well, I'll move over then," Chris said, sidling closer to Presea. "You don't look too big, we can fit," he said, forcing a smile over Genis's hostile glare.

Genis sat, his glare cooling off as he gazed around the table. "Genis," he said coolly, spearing a pancake. Chris focused his attention to his plate, but his wolf self turned to look towards Genis. Interesting…

The rest of breakfast passed uneventfully, except Zelos and Lloyd had a swordfight over the last pancake. Lloyd won, much to Zelos's dismay. "That kid is driven these days…" Zelos observed mentally.

Sheena punched Zelos. "Ha. Some swordsman you are."

Zelos grimaced, remembering his remark from before. "Oh, be quiet," he smirked.

Plates were cleaned up, dishes washed, and everyone sat around the table. No one seemed quite willing to leave, but...

"Well, we'd better go." Raine said, breaking the happy silence.

"Why? Where are you going?" Chris asked, knowing full well where.

Raine bit her lip again. "Well, it's not me as much as… well… everyone…"

Chris looked around, seemingly puzzled. "So this isn't your average picnic?"

"I'll say," laughed Lloyd.

"So what's up? Are you going to Mizuho or what?" Chris said.

Sheena narrowed her eyes. "How do you even know Mizuho's near here?" she said, her voice dangerously low.

A bead of sweat trickled down the back of Chris's neck…

* * *

Me: I've put myself in the pressure cooker... oooh...

Genis: Better than putting ME in the pressure cooker...

Me: HAHAHAAAA!!!! Review please, no matter what you have to say.


	8. Chapter 8

Genis: You have no life.

Me: Heh Heh.

Genis: You just updated 3 times in 1 day.

Me: I don't own ToS or Genis.

* * *

Chapter 8: in which Suspicions are made Known 

Sheena frowned deeper. "Well?"

Chris squirmed a bit. "I have lived near here all my life…"

"Yeah, because everyone knows about secret ninja villages," Genis put in.

Lloyd came to Chris's rescue. "C'mon guys, people must know it's near here. Be reasonable."

Genis raised an eyebrow. "Secret being the key word in that sentence…"

Chris wasn't expecting such hostility. "Look," he spat out. "I know it exists. I know it's near here. So do a lot of people. My father, for one."

Sheena relaxed her frown a bit. "Okay, I'll admit it's not a complete secret…"

"Good," Chris said. "So anyway, your group seems covered in secrets. Don't you go telling me this is just a regular excursion for you guys."

Silence.

Chris looked around to discover everyone looking at him. "What?" he said slowly.

"Not exactly," Lloyd relented, cavalierly ignoring a severe look from Raine. "We're on a bit of a journey…"

Chris smiled. "That's cool. What's it all about?"

More silence.

Chris was sweating, but he covered it up by raising an eyebrow. Not easy to do. "Look," he said "For some reason you don't want to tell me what you're up to. I can't think of any reason for that, other than it being illegal," Chris said, narrowing his eyes. "And if that's the case…"

"No way man!" Zelos cut in. "I'm the Chosen. Is me doing illegal things likely?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "You do realize that in Meltokio, you're a wanted traitor? What's going on? I want answers!" Chris grimly continued.

Regal stepped forward. "We are not criminals," he said, each word measured. "We are only attempting to heal a flawed system…"

For the next half hour, Regal did nothing but explain. Raine looked as though she may interject, and Genis was livid, but other than that everyone was paying close attention.

"No kidding," Chris said slowly, once Regal finished talking. "Well, that settles it, I'm coming."

"What?" Raine said. "And why would you do that?"

"Because I want to help you guys! If this Regal guy's telling the truth, which I'm positive he is, I want to help!"

"How about your parents?" Raine shot back. "They must want you back."

Chris smiled mentally, but sighed outwardly. Time for the routine… "My mother died when I was born…"

Raine looked shocked, but stayed on track. "Your father then. He must be worried…"

Chris sighed deeper. Another half-truth spilled out of his mouth. "He sent me out… I'm living by myself now…"

Raine cut him off. "Is it because you were a half-elf?" she said, sympathizing slightly.

Chris's brow furrowed. Would this get him support, or not…. He could see how Raine got confused, as he was half human… He went out on a limb. "Yes…"

The group instantly seemed more open. Chris sighed again. "So, are you going to trust me?" he said, spreading his hands out.

"I do," Lloyd interjected.

"As do I," Presea added.

"It's cool with me!" Zelos stuck in, smiling.

Regal frowned. "But… this journey is dangerous…"

Chris grinned, showing his teeth. "I can fight," he said loudly.

"Prove it," came Genis's voice.

"Alright," Chris said, grinning. "Where?"

Bridge to Ozette.

1 and a half hours later.

"Okay," Raine said, calling the group to a halt. "This is it. Just around the corner is the bridge. There is always some type of scoundrels demanding fees, and they're usually armed."

Chris nodded. "I'm armed too," he said, showing his gauntlets.

"And legged," Lloyd observed in typical Lloyd fashion.

Chris laughed. "I suppose," he added, putting on his helmet...

_"Ooh, macho now. Who you trying to impress? Scrawny pink-haired chick? Don't know what you're thinking, myself. Wait, nix that, I do know what you're thinking."_

A ringing laugh sounded and Chris groaned.

"Worried?" Genis put in, slightly menacingly.

"Nah, just a headache," Chris replied lightly. He walked towards the bridge, immersed in another argument with… well… himself.

_"Now, if I were you, I'd go for that well endowed dangerous chick. She's got it."_

"Was that you during breakfast? You nearly blew my cover!"

_"It wasn't the Jolly Green Giant, kiddo."_

"God, enough corny jokes! Why don't you just shut up for once!?"

Little did Chris know, a wise-cracking, axe wielding, armored, 400 lb, easily agitated man was guarding the bridge today. Chris was so preoccupied, however, that he didn't even notice.

_"Out loud again. Geez, you have no control._

The axe man opened his mouth, face turning red.

"Just shut up!" Chris literally yelled.

The man grumbled out in a dark undertone, "You wanna fight?" Chris didn't notice.

_"For future reference," _Wolf-Chris said quietly at the same time, _"Do you value your limbs?"_

"Of course I do!" Chris said, aloud again. "What kind of stupid question is that?"

This served as an answer to both parties. The axe man's response was to reach for said axe, hefting it menacingly. The wolf's response was to make a wise-guy comment.

_"Then stop talking aloud, because this big fellow is about to rend your head from your shoulders."_

Chris came back to the present with a pop, or more like a swish, with the swish being an axe aimed at his neck. He rapidly ducked, blade whistling over his head.

_"Ooh, so close. Looks like I'm stuck with you for a bit longer."_

Chris moved forward, parrying the next blow, and then delivered two slashes to the face. He was going for the uppercut, when…

_"Mind the bloke's foot."_

Chris took a heavy blow in a certain section of the male anatomy. This couldn't stop the uppercut, though, and it drove home underneath the man's chin, knocking him out, and basically slicing off his chin.

_"That must have been painful. Go ahead and pass out, I know you're dying to."_

Chris took this advice, and, clutching his…

_"Way to ruin the end of the chapter, moron."_

Chris sank into unconsciousness.

_"Better. This kid has no common sense, I like him more asleep."_

Hey wait, you can talk to me?

_"Well, I am a supernatural being. We have some strange powers."_

Yeah but, conversing with the author? Ok whatever. I'm ending this chapter NOW!

_"Okie dokey."_

_

* * *

_

Me: Geez that wolf-Chris is a pain.

_I resent that._

Genis: HAHAHAHAHAAAAA

Me: AAARGH!!! Review this NOW!!! Please???


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: In which moves are made…

Chris woke.

_"Well, I didn't expect you to sleep so long. And by the way, keep your eyes closed."_

"Why?" Chris said, or rather thought.

_"You won't like what you see…"_

"I won't play 20 questions. Tell me what's up!"

_"Ok, fine. We're in Mizuho, they carried you here._

"How long was I out?

_"Hard to say, I don't really keep track when I'm… uh… sleeping."_

"Sleeping? Do you even..." but Chris's mental discussion was interrupted by his helmet falling off, onto the floor. He opened his eyes… and saw exactly why the wolf had told him not to open them.

Raine rushed over to Chris, who had fallen. "First Aid!" she said quickly, healing Chris's ahem wounds. She bent over, monitoring his vitals. "We may be here a while, before he's stable enough to move." Genis took this as an opportunity to sidle over to Presea, who was biting her lip.

"Hey, are you okay? You look worried."

Presea's heart skipped a beat. Genis… "I… I don't want him to be hurt…"

"Well, don't worry about it too much. Raine will take care of him… Let's just leave her be." Genis said.

Presea turned away. Genis 1, Chris 0, thought Genis with a smile.

"I'm going to need something to make a stretcher out of…" Raine said.

Presea unsheathed her axe. "I'll get some wood…"

"W-wait, I'll help!" Genis added on.

Presea turned. "Alright then, I could use some company I suppose…" They walked off towards the nearby woods, leaving the rest to get ordered around by Raine.

WHACK! WHACK!

The axe blade made huge gouges in the tree, felling it within seconds. Genis cut off the smaller branches using Wind Blade. Presea dragged the trunk off, Genis following with some branches. "Thank you… for your help…" Presea said slowly.

Genis smiled. "No problem." Presea's stomach quailed with nervousness. Normally Genis would have felt the same way, but right now he was too busy thinking about how he'd just one-upped Chris. This gave him the appearance of a cool confidence, and Presea moved slightly closer…

Genis cursed for two reasons. Reason number one, he couldn't hold her hand, because his hands were filled with branches. Reason two, they had approached the camp, and Presea was biting her lip again, seeing Chris immobile. "Look," he said in a cool voice. "Let's see if we can fashion this into a stretcher."

Presea looked over. "Do you think we can? I don't really make these things normally…"

Genis smiled. "Of course! You're the best craftsperson I know!"

"What about Lloyd?" Presea questioned.

Genis frowned. "Well he's good too, but…" His smile returned. "You're much better looking than he is."

Presea appeared to stay focused, but inwardly she was a maelstrom. He had just… He complimented… What about Chris??? But Genis… She smiled. "Thank you," she said, the faintest tinge of a blush crawling onto her cheeks. "Shall we start?"

Several minutes, a few snapped twigs, and two growing affections later, the stretcher was complete. The two of them brought it to Raine. "Good," she said quickly. "Get it under him, he needs to get somewhere with shelter."

"Mizuho, then." Sheena said decisively. She met no opponent, even though Mizuho was farther by 30 minutes than Ozette. Even Raine agreed that it was probably a good idea to stay away from the half-elf hating village.

The journey passed uneventfully, with no exciting events to speak of… until they reached the gateway to enter the village. Lloyd smiled. "I'm sure glad to see this place, my legs are killing me," he said, running towards the gate and contradicting what he had just said. Sheena smiled at this, but the smile disappeared rapidly. The pilgrimage… "STOP!" she yelled out suddenly. Everyone froze, except for Colette, who tripped and fell over. She stood up, but nobody had noticed, because they were all looking at Lloyd, who, in a matter of seconds, had been grabbed by Sheena and hurled away from the gate.

"Ow…" he said, rubbing his head, which had been used as a shock absorber. "Sheena, what the heck are you,"

"Shhh…" she replied, cutting him off. "I need to concentrate." She closed her eyes, and slowly walked down the arched gateway towards the town in a curious pattern. Circles, triangles, all kinds of geometric shapes were represented. She finally paused on a stone at the far end. "OK, you can come now," she called out.

Lloyd walked in front. "What the heck was that for?" he said indignantly.

Sheena grimaced. "If I were to step off this stone, you would all be unconscious in a matter of seconds." Everyone looked shocked, and the general pace picked up slightly. "It's the annual pilgrimage," Sheena explained, as the walkers sped faster. "The village is empty, so security is tight. As a matter of fact," she said to the now-joggers, "there's no way in or out other than this archway, and even then not unless you know the pattern."

Running now, a question came from Regal, who was bringing up the rear. "Surely one could get in through the forest…"

Sheena frowned. "Even the best trackers can't find their way through the forests north of here. There's actually a post at the edge, with 3 pieces of string attached. It's apparently unbreakable, so they tie that to themselves so they can get back." Sheena frowned as the sprinting group bolted through the archway, Colette tripping again and bringing everyone down in a heap. Raine was the first up, smacking Zelos and Lloyd's heads with her staff for dropping Chris. Sheena rolled her eyes.

Soon later…

Presea sat by Chris's bedside. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to wake up and kiss her, or just vanish. Her thoughts whirled in a never ending circle. Genis or Chris? Genis or Chris or Genis or Chris or "Presea?" Genis said questioningly. "What are you doing?" He walked into the room, sitting next to Presea on the loveseat.

"I'm just…" Presea began, but realized she could find no good reason to explain why she was there. She let the sentence hang.

"You worry too much." Genis said. "It's not healthy. I'm worried for him too, and so is everyone else, but just sitting here isn't going to help him!"

Presea nodded slowly. She opened her mouth, but was cut off by Chris's helmet falling to the floor. She bit her lip again. Genis moved closer as she stared over at the fallen helmet. Presea turned back. Tears in her eyes, she moved closer. "Thank you, Genis…" She leaned in…

"Screw him," Chris thought angrily. He opened his eyes. Scanning the room, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, until... He slammed his eyes shut again.

Genis had a trumpet fanfare going in his head. Presea moved closer and closer… He moved forward too, and their lips met, sending a fireworks explosion going off in Genis's brain. He moved his arms around her, and she around him, and for a moment they were one… Genis moved back, breaking the kiss. "Shall we go outside?" he said with a broad smile. The two of them left the room, leaving an eerie vacuum in their wake. Nothing moved… Other than a solitary tear sliding down Chris's face.


	10. Chapter 10

Let the excitement... begin!

_Chris doesn't own ToS_

* * *

Chapter 10: 2 Attacks

Chris wiped away the tear, disgusted with himself. What was he doing? She didn't mean anything to him! "I'll just work on getting to know Lloyd for now," he told himself. She isn't anything special… But inside, he knew better.

Lloyd and Colette were surveying their new room. "Comfy," Colette said cheerily, (SCARY I tell you!) testing out the new mattress. Lloyd seemed less enthusiastic about the accommodations, and even seeing Colette spread out on a mattress did nothing to excite him. (And if it excited you, then you have issues) Lloyd walked to the door. "Where are you going?" Colette asked, in a slightly more curiously cheery tone.

"Out." Lloyd said brusquely. And with that, he left the room leaving a saddened Colette in his wake.

Presea was enjoying herself, which is difficult when one has limited emotional output. Genis was lying next to her, and they were both surveying the fish in the koi pond. Genis put his arm around her, and she smiled, snuggling closer. Genis thought, rather boldly, that he had won this particular contest. He wanted to kiss her again, but it would be awkward considering her head was resting on his shoulder. "Oh well," he thought smiling widely. "Another time. There'll be plenty of them…"

Chris pulled on his armor, but left his helmet off, holding it under his arm. The last thing he needed, he thought sourly, was that stupid wolf slinging i-told-you-so's. His mood was further soured by seeing Genis and Presea down by the koi pond, together. He attempted to just brush this off, but it stuck, and this irked him. He almost crashed into Lloyd, who was walking out of his room.

"Hey," Chris said blandly.

"Hmmm," Lloyd said by way of acknowledgement.

"Well, someone's being a stick in the mud today," Chris said, smiling slightly.

"You're one to talk!" Lloyd replied with a wider smile.

They laughed, moving off. "So, where are you going?" Chris asked.

"I dunno," Lloyd said. "I thought I might check out the forest."

"So was I!" Chris said with a smile.

"Cool," Lloyd said, matching Chris's grin. They walked off towards the forest, chattering idly. Chris's mood was improving rapidly.

Presea got up all of a sudden. Genis was dozing, so he didn't notice. Presea made a fast break for her room. She needed to think. Raine was inside reading a book. "Had a good time?" she said, smiling knowingly.

Presea didn't acknowledge Raine, slipping into her room. Raine shrugged, going back to her book. She looked out the window, her superior half-elven vision scoping out Genis, (I told you, they just are. Keep reading.) who was looking rather puzzled. Raine almost laughed at the sight. Genis puzzled was not something you see every day.

Chris tied the string around his waist. "Ready," he called out, putting on his helmet.

_Not ready to get dumped though. I did warn you._

Chris sighed, hearing Lloyd call "Ready" over the wolf. "And when have you given me any reason to trust you?" he thought back.

_I am half your brain…_

Chris moved into the forest. "Well, I don't want to talk about it."

_What if I want to talk about it?_

"Hold it in."

Chris turned over to Lloyd, ignoring the wolf, who was pretending to be constipated. "So, what are we looking for?" he asked casually.

"Food," came Lloyd's answer. "We're fresh out, and the item shop has nothing."

_Now you're talking!_

Chris smiled. Finally, something they could agree on. "Let's go!" he said, delving into the forest, Lloyd at his side.

_Mind if I have control for a bit?_

"Yes, I do mind. You'd just eat Lloyd, I'm sure."

_Oh, c'mon. I promise I won't._

"I would sooner trust a rattlesnake." Chris said, cutting through the wolf's whining. "Now," he said silently, "Help me find some game."

Chris could almost see the wolf smiling. _What if I lead you on a wild goose chase?_

"Then I definitely won't trust you."

_Ha-ha. Sounds fair enough._

Lloyd frowned. "Any luck?"

"Nope," Chris replied from a short distance away. "Let's go… West."

"Okay!" Lloyd said, grinning. Then, a heart stopping growl stopped them both in their tracks.

Presea sat on her bed. Genis or Chris? It would be so easy to choose… But she couldn't. She lied down, sighing. It was just too hard… But Genis had… But Chris was… her thoughts spun in an endless circle.

Regal meditated, sitting in his bed in a cross legged position. It would storm tonight, he thought. His thoughts strayed to several years ago. There was once a night quite like this one…

14 years ago

Meltokio

The sun was setting, lighting the air on fire, sending reds and purples shooting through the sky. Clouds were gathering, sending a damp smell through the air. Regal was sitting in a sidewalk café. He sipped a beer, choking on it as he did so. His quarry had entered the square.

Cain glanced around, his wolf senses detecting something. He dismissed it. They would always act up in towns…

Regal got up, following Cain. He would find out where that kid was going. There was no way that this guy was legitimate. And, Regal thought grimly, fingering his camera, this time there would be proof. Cain turned quickly down an alley. Regal followed cautiously. Mere seconds later, he arrived at the alley. He peeked around the corner. There was nobody there. He started a curse, but was interrupted by a hand drawing tight around his windpipe. He gasped.

"Now," Cain said slowly, walking into the shadows, dragging Regal with him. "Why were you following me?"

"The kid," Regal choked out. "What are you doing with him!" he managed to sound forceful despite the fact that his face was turning a similar color as his hair.

Cain released some pressure. "Doing what should have been done in the first place," he said with a voice full of malice. "Do you know what that foolish son of mine did!? He denied the greatest gift I could have given him. A future… To join me as a higher order… He denied it, and ran off like the filth he is.

"You're raving," Regal said, choking on the words.

"Am I? Well, my brother soon took care of him… So nothing stands in my way now. The boy is mine, and he will soon join me!"

Regal laughed inwardly, even as Cain knocked the camera out of his hand, smashing it. He had a confession on tape, he thought. Always good to keep a recorder in one's pocket, he thought, as Cain swung his arm around, knocking Regal unconscious. After leaving Regal, Cain moved to where the child was to be picked up; he did so and left quickly. Around the time Cain left the city, Regal gained consciousness. He dug eagerly in his pocket. Pushing the play button, he listened to the recording over the small speakers.

_Did you really think I would be foolish enough to overlook this???_

The tinny message crushed Regal. His last hope… gone.

Present Day

Regal sighed. He said a silent prayer for that child, wherever he was.

That child was at the moment skinning a deer with Lloyd. He looked at Lloyd, who was licking his lips. "You know," Chris said, laughing, "This would go a lot faster if you contributed." Lloyd groaned, and moved in to help.

Later that evening…

Chris sank into his bed, sighing. The day had not been a good one, and seeing Presea sit next to Genis did little to raise his spirits. He closed his eyes. Things would surely be better tomorrow. How wrong could one person be…

_Hunger… The scent of cooked game drove the beast mad with it. It growled, breaking free of its chains. It needed to feed… here and now. A scent came… it was a female… she would do. The beast ran towards the girl, making almost no noise as it bounded._

Sheena frowned. Was that a…

_The beast leaped, lashing. One bite, two, it felt the warm blood in his jaws. He longed for the kill… but… some outside influence drove it back, and it howled, running away. The taste of blood was enough._

Sheena lay bleeding on the ground. Her brain twisted out a trauma message. Must…Call…Help… Blackness overtook, and she saw no more.

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Can Sheena survive? Review and find out!

_That sounded really corny._

Click the review button. Type how much you hate this stupid voice.

_You invented me, thats not the best idea for your story._

Um, how much you hate MY voice, not CHRIS's voice.

_That made no sense._

JUST REVIEW OKAY!

_Way to make them feel pressured._

Please???

_No need to be pathetic._

Is there a way to commit mental suicide?

_Only on your half._

Grr. Next chapter coming soon.


	11. Chapter 11

Hehe. I'm baaaack!

_Way to keep em waiting._

Oh shut up. I'm back to school, so I've got less time these days. But anyway, I got it done. It took forever. But I wanted to be sure I did it right. Enjoy!

_Chris doesn't own ToS_

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Chapter 11: Fear in the Storm

Thunder crashes. The rain begins, falling down on a scene of terror in the town below. A streak of grey, a figure turns…

Red…

The rain becomes harder, washing the blood down the street, a sickly stream of human life, steadily draining. The beast smells the blood, but its urge to feast is stopped suddenly. It senses something… Something moving. It dashed toward a window…

Chris jerked himself from a restless sleep after only a few hours. He was rather surprised to find he was dripping wet. Probably a result of his dream, he grimly thought, recalling it as he glanced through his storm-washed window. It was enough to make anyone sweat. It had seemed so realistic… He jumped back, seeing a reflection in the window. Yellow eyes, crooked, sharp teeth… He stuck his face back into the window, surveying his wolf-self. Stupid thing… Making a rude gesture, Chris spun back into his bed. He needed sleep. "Yuck," Chris said out loud. He had forgotten his sheets were dripping wet. He ripped them off, and walked over to the laundry cupboard. He picked some new sheets up, and took them back to his bed. He made his bed, and then crawled under the covers.

Colette was restless herself. Lloyd hadn't said a word to her all night, and he simply had plunked himself into bed. She couldn't help but feel a little miffed about the whole thing. She pulled on her coat. It was only 12:30… Sheena would understand. Walking out the door, she closed it quietly, so as not to disturb Lloyd. She took a few paces, and then turned back to the door. Opening it once more, she slammed it shut. She walked off without expression.

Zelos was getting a little worried. Not very like him. He rolled onto his bed. Sheena had been gone for ages… Surely cleaning up wouldn't take that long… He got up, walking over to the door. He reached for the knob. He may as well go find her…

BANG! Colette was surprised to find the door only opened about a foot. There seemed to be something blocking it. She frowned, and pushed on it a little bit.

"Oww… My face…" Zelos said.

Colette squeezed through the door, apologizing profusely. "So sorry, sorry…"

"That's alright," Zelos said, wincing. "Just knock the door next time, and not my face."

Colette blushed. "Do you know where Sheena is? I need to talk to her…" the blush faded as a vaguely sad look crept onto her face.

"I think she was cleaning up after supper…" the redhead said, jumping to his feet.

"Oh…" Colette said slowly. "Well, I guess I'll go find her then."

"I'll come," Zelos said quickly. "I… I…" He stopped, mainly because his nose was bleeding rapidly. "OK... mebbe nod…" He mumbled out through the blood. ."(I happen to be fluent in mumblese. He said "Ok… Maybe not.") "Dell her do cobe bak thood, OK?"(Tell her to come back soon, OK?")

"I will," Colette said, walking out of the door, leaving Zelos's face slowly becoming the same colour as his hair. He cursed, looking around for a box of Kleenex.

All in all, this nosebleed was probably a good thing for Zelos. He probably would have lost it if he had followed Colette. Speaking of which, Colette was rapidly pacing in order to reach the kitchens without getting too wet. She turned a corner and, seeing Sheena, began to call out, which was cut off when she saw the streak of grey. She froze. The scariest thing she had ever seen outside of nightmares was planted in front of her. She watched as it moved closer to Sheena, sniffing. Colette liked dogs, and this… thing… looked just like one. She stepped closer timidly, unsure what to do. She froze in her tracks, as the beast stopped and looked over in her direction. Her heart seemed to stop. The blood-tinged head turned away. All of a sudden, it launched itself away from Sheena, and dashed out of Colette's view.

Colette stood, stunned by the events that had taken place. She stood in the rain, simply staring at the place where the beast had been. The rain poured down, washing a stream of water across her toes. She looked down at them. They were stained red… Her brain forced her vocal chords into action, letting out a piercing scream.

Chris frowned. What was that sound? The wind? He got out of bed, listening with all his might. No, it was too high-pitched. Could it be…? His faced turned pale. He slapped on his gauntlets, and ran out into the night.

Raine was sleeping uneasily for a few reasons. The first was the fact that she was worried about Presea. Another was the fact that in the hotel they were all staying in, Zelos was in the room right above hers, and he was snoring madly. Probably the results of a nosebleed. She frowned, her superior half-elven hearing picking out a sound among the crashing lightning. (Look. Stop asking already) Colette… Screaming. She jumped out of bed, grabbed her staff, and ran towards the sound.

Chris reached the scene first. "Oh my God…" he said. Something in his mind stirred at the sight of blood, but he restrained it with difficulty. He looked towards Colette. She saw him, and ran over, sinking into his arms.

"I… I… was so scared... Thank you," she said, crying.

Raine arrived on the scene moments later. "Professor," Chris said by way of acknowledgement. She nodded, and leaned over Sheena.

"Heal!" She cried out quickly. She nodded. "There, that should do for now. Chris could you…" she began, but stopped when she realized he was holding the still crying Colette. "Um… Never mind. I'll get the others." She said, dashing off yet again.

Chris held Colette until the tears stopped, and then even after. The rain fell down, the two figures spending a lonely vigil.

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Heh heh. Reviews pleez!


	12. Chapter 12

Heres the new chapter. The plot sickens...

_That wasn't very funny._

SILENCE muse. I don't own ToS!

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The rain was tapping a steady beat on the windows of the infirmary. The group surrounded the bed, all wearing funeral faces. None looked quite as pale as Zelos, although Chris and Lloyd weren't looking too good themselves. They sat on a bench, Colette between them. There was no noise, other than Raine bustling around. She pushed Genis out of her way, which nearly made him fall over. Presea grabbed at him, and they ended up both falling in a heap. Raine groaned. "Can you all please leave? There's going to be another injury soon," she said quickly, biting her lip. There was a dull movement towards the door. Zelos hung back, looking at Sheena, but eventually moved out the door. Raine worked for a few more minutes, before she realized she wasn't alone. She turned, eyeing Regal. "When I said all of you, I did mean it…" she said slowly.

"You didn't tell them." Regal said in a calm voice.

"Do you realize how much of a panic there would be? Zelos is already doing badly; imagine what another shock like that would do to him!"

"Even so," Regal countered. "You'll have to tell them sometime. Because they will find out."

"Look." Raine said slowly. "These wounds are mysterious, and it'll take them quite a while to heal. I can say that she needs to stay here, and that won't be lying."

"I hope you're right. Because right now, we can't get out of Mizuho until the village's people get back from the pilgrimage, which won't happen for another week." Regal said calmly. He left the room, leaving a worried, troubled Raine behind him.

Chris sat in the common room, staring into the fire. He thought of many things, but most of his entire dream, and what had unfolded in real life. He couldn't shake the similarity… Was he clairvoyant? Or…or… Chris frowned. His logic was turning circles. He needed to talk with a certain wolf, and clear his mind. He made to get up, but stopped, hearing two voices.

"Can I talk to you?" The two girls looked at each other, each equally surprised the other had spoken. Colette seemed the more embarrassed of the two, and ducked out, leaving Presea. Chris turned away, moving over so there was space for both of them.

Taking this as an invitation, Presea sat. Neither of them spoke, mainly because Chris was radiating hostility from every pore. She broke the silence in a small voice. "Chris… I…" her voice failed.

"What." The bland, uninviting tone came back.

"I… haven't seen you much. It's like you're avoiding me," came the nervous reply.

"And why do you think that is?"

"Well, I don't know… Like… I thought we were friends!" she blurted out.

"You know why I should be avoiding you." Chris replied. "You just don't think that I know. Well, I do."

Presea's eyes opened wide. She seemed about to say something, but Chris cut her off by leaving. He threw a last remark over his shoulder. "In my room, even."

Presea instantly recalled that moment… She stared into the fire, its flames dancing, and felt it caress her heart, holding it in a soothing embrace… Then crushed it in a fist of iron. She broke down sobbing, tears falling down her face. She felt like she was being tugged two ways and she didn't know which way to turn anymore.

Raine found her there, curled up in a small ball. She frowned, but it was more a worried frown than a disapproving one. She sat down next to Presea, and held her like a mother would a child. Like Raine had held Genis in all those hard years after their abandonment. Raine sighed. Why even have love if it could be so cruel…?

"Lloyd, please! At least talk to me!" a distraught Colette said to Lloyd.

"Okay, what?" Lloyd said, spinning around to face her.

Silence ensued, as the two stared at each other. Lloyd rolled his eyes. "I'm glad we had this little talk." He walked out the door. A muffled sob came from the other side, but Lloyd didn't notice, as he was already downstairs. There was a small clinking, and a ring slid underneath the door, lying in the hallway. Almost as if it had been thrown away…

Zelos laid in his bed, brooding. He frowned, realizing that he didn't actually know what had attacked Sheena, if indeed anything. He got up, walking to the door. Might as well find out…

Finding the infirmary locked, he wandered over to where Sheena had been found. He looked around. Something… anything…. And he found it. A track, in the dirt underneath a tree. There were no others due to the rain, but this was protected by the tree. He inspected it curiously. It looked like a wolf track… but… there were opposable thumbs. He shook himself. No way…

Lloyd arrived at Chris's room. He needed to talk to someone he could relate to. He opened the door. Chris stared over at him blankly. "Hey," he said slowly. "Come in…" he pulled up a chair. Lloyd sat with his head in his hands. Chris frowned at him. "What's up?"

"I dunno, I've just been feeling… weird lately…"

Chris sat up a bit, giving Lloyd his full attention. Lloyd didn't notice, and continued.

"I just feel like something… well, something's wrong in me. Like there's something that should be there, but isn't. I can't put my finger on it though…"

Chris sat up. This was it… "Look. A very wise man once taught me a technique. Go somewhere alone. Your room, whatever. Just kind of meditate a bit, and release your tensions. See how that works for you."

"Okay…" Lloyd frowned. "I will." He made to leave.

Chris realized something suddenly. "Um… how bout you try it here first? I'll just go over there…" he gestured behind a screen. The last thing he needed was a werewolf running around… Behind the screen, Chris equipped his weapons, sliding on his helmet. Just in case… He peered around the corner.

_The moment has arrived. Geez it's been dull, it'll be nice to have another kindred spirit around._

"Not now, please?" Chris said back mentally.

_Well, a first transformation is pretty exciting._

Chris gave a start. First?

"I thought it was his second?"

_Nope. I know a first-timer when I see one._

"But then… who…" Chris paled. "Did you…!" but he was cut off by a rather rapid change in the atmosphere. Heavy breathing… panting… He peered around the corner, seeing a wolf transformation take place. This one, unlike him, had dark red hair, almost auburn. Chris made to step out, but then the wolf jumped out his opened window.

"Damn!" Chris swore, running in pursuit. He hadn't thought of that…

_Brilliant. Really brilliant._

"Shut up!!!" Chris roared, launching himself after the wolf. Dropping down from his second story window, he looked around quickly. Clear… CLANG. A huge claw swiped at him from behind, smacking his helmet.

_That looks like it hurt. Duck._

Chris followed this order, narrowly missing another club from the wolf. He swung 3 quick strikes, followed by a kick to the shins with his greaves. The wolf howled, leaping at Chris's neck with its teeth gnashing. Ignoring the urge to transform, he rolled over and back, kicking the beast off him. He stood up, whirling to face a fist that had appeared right in front of him. Chris heard a wicked crunch, and then fell back, hearing the wolf as his consciousness faded.

_sigh If you had transformed… This could have been avoided._

Genis walked through the courtyard, idly sniffing flowers and herbs. He yawned widely. Settling down on a bench, he scanned the yard, seeing Zelos examining a tree. Genis dimly comprehended Zelos being a gardener. He would have laughed if he wasn't so tired… He yawned again, and, imagining a gardening Zelos getting eaten by a carnivorous plant, sunk into happy dreams.

_The beast howled, victorious in its battle. He moved closer to feast on his foe. It took a step forward, but jerked back suddenly. This wasn't food… It was wolven blood. In moved closer sniffing. A meal was a meal… It lowered its jaws toward the fine neck of its kin… But stopped. A small, human part of its consciousness screamed, trying to prevent this murder. It ran, fighting this strange human instinct of mercy. It ran through a field, past buildings… And then through an arch, into a small courtyard. The wolf managed to silence the voice, knocking it back into the crevices of its being. It smelled prey… There were two… The beast approached one silently. It made no move. The beast stalked closer, raising its claw for a strike._

_

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_

_Why does nobody listen to me?_

Who knows. Anyway, review!!!! Who will the beast attack... REVIEW SO I CAN WRITE THAT WAY!!!

_Liar._

I'll rewrite it any way they want as long as I get reviews! So... Who's gonna get attacked?


	13. Chapter 13

I'm so proud of myself.

_I didn't think you'd do it._

I told you, I love my reviewers! I don't own ToS!

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Chapter 13: A Mysterious Visitor

_Lloyd's consciousness screamed for control, but too late. The beast had already followed through, claws piercing the fine neck of his victim. The beast showed its teeth in a hideous grimace. A silent strike. The beast lapped up the blood from the wound. The taste ran over its tongue, and the beast grinned wickedly. Now… The feast would begin._

Kratos folded in his wings, landing lightly on the grass. He viewed the ancient home. Such faded splendor… Like the forest, the house had deteriorated, becoming a hideous representation of what once was. The side of Kratos' face twisted in a smirk. "Heh," he said slowly. "Cain, my friend… I've found you." He walked the fifty paces to the front door. He raised his fist to knock. The door opened first, however. Kratos walked in, seeing the man behind it retreat into the adjoining room. Kratos loosened the holster on his sword, walking slowly into the room. In it, he discovered Cain, sitting in the remnants of an armchair. Kratos made no move to sit, but he smiled, looking the other man in the eyes.

"Kratos," came the hoarse acknowledgement.

"Cain… I can't say I'm all that happy to see you," Kratos said grimly.

"Seeing you gives me no pleasure either, Kratos," Cain said, smiling a twisted smile.

Kratos took his sword out of the sheath, his eyes reflecting in the cold steel. He smiled, seeing Cain shudder. "Yes. Pure silver. Poison to your wolf blood…" Kratos took a few steps closer. Raising the sword to the wolf-man's neck, he smiled again. "I'm surprised you didn't try to resist," he said in grim amusement.

"I'm an old man, Kratos." Cain replied in a calm manner. "I have not the strength that I once had… unlike you."

Kratos' smile faded. "Indeed. Now, I require information. Do it and I will spare your life."

"What life? I'm not long for this world anyway…"

"Regardless. You really shouldn't have messed with what worked, Cain… Your stupid half-elf implantation project…" Kratos frowned.

"What is wrong with attempting to advance the human race?" Cain seemed at ease, despite the blade pointed at his neck.

"Everything… When your "subject" broke out and killed that couple… You're demented, Cain. Sending your own brother… Killing your own son…" Kratos moved ever closer.

"That boy was no son of mine," Cain hissed. "I offered him the chance of a lifetime… But he fell for that girl, refused me… NO-ONE REFUSES ME!" Cain stood up, but stopped as the blade pressed into his neck.

"Sit down," Kratos coolly replied. "I dislike killing… but I won't hesitate to do so in your case." Cain obliged, sinking back into the armchair.

"What information do you desire, Kratos?"

"Where's the boy?" Kratos countered, staring the old man in the eye.

"Gone… I sent him…" Cain smiled a twisted smile.

"What… No…" Kratos seemed dazed.

"Yes… With your son… He's one too, now… But now Kratos… I must leave you!" He ended the sentence by leaping at Kratos's throat, fur already sprouting. He caught a dazed Kratos by surprise, who barely managed to parry the blow. The wolf snarled at him, letting a low, inhuman growl escape its jaws.

_Catch me if you can…_

The beast leaped out the window. Kratos cursed, and then followed, already losing sight of his target. Wings leaped from Kratos's back, but he knew they would be next to useless in the thick foliage. The beast could easily outrun him through the forest. If only he knew where Lloyd was… He took off, heading for Cruxis' headquarters. He could find Lloyd from there… "Hang on, my son," he mumbled out as he rocketed into the skies.

Genis stirred, something disturbing his nap. He yawned widely, rubbing his eyes. What had disturbed his rest? He sat up, his blurry eyes coming into focus. For a second in time, his heart stopped. He saw the beast lower its head to the neck of its victim… Zelos…

"No you don't!" Genis forced his vocal cords into action. The beast turned, extending to its full height. Genis gulped. He pulled out his kendama, knowing it would be nearly useless. The beast stepped closer. Genis wanted to start a spell, but his common sense prevailed. He wouldn't have the time. All he could do was yell… "HELP!" he cried out, agitating the beast slightly. It stepped closer…

_Food… The wolf needed it, but the urge to feast was interrupted by this diminutive creature. No matter… The feast would simply be larger. It moved in… A buzzing set off in its cranium, making it falter. Nonononononononono… The message came over, beating a tattoo into the wolf's skull. It let out a howl…_

Genis paled, hearing the wolf's fearsome cry. He curled down into a ball, whimpering. Was this all? Did it end here? He looked up at the rich auburn fur of his assailant. He raised his kendama in a desperate attempt to ward off the final blow…

_Ignoring the wailing inside its head, the beast raised its claw, slashing downward in a huge slice. But something in its brain moved the claw slightly, avoiding the kill. Instead it hit the wooden instrument the wretched thing was holding, snapping it in two, inflicting only a small wound across its palm. Some conscience inside the beast couldn't handle this… And neither could the beast itself. It took off again, howling mightily._

Raine was first on the scene, followed quickly by Colette, Regal, and Presea. "Is this all of us?" Raine snapped out, receiving dull nods. "Very well. Presea, help me bring back Zelos and Genis. Presea nodded fearfully. "Colette, Regal, find Chris and Lloyd!" They nodded and ran out of the courtyard.

Scanning the town, they found Chris, standing by the window of his room, looking dazed. Colette ran over, hugging him tightly. "Thank the goddess we found you…" Chris's dazed look remained on his face, but he found the words, choking them around his bruises.

"Nice to see you too, Colette. Can I get a hand here, Regal?" Colette released the hug, and the two rescuers supported Chris back to the infirmary, where Raine was working feverishly.

"Good," she said slowly. "I can take it from here. Presea, go help them find Lloyd!"

She hesitated at the sight of Chris and Genis's injuries, but followed the instruction, walking out the door. The trio of searchers turned the whole town upside down looking, but saw no sign of Lloyd anywhere. What they did find, however, was a lot more disconcerting. Near the edge of the forest, one of the three "unbreakable" strings was snapped, leaving only a thread to blow in the wind…

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See that little button that says "Submit Review?" HIT IT!

_You saw what one review did... Imagine if all of you submitted reviews..._

Exactly.

_Actually, I'm pretty sure you'd explode._

Nonsense! I love reviews, send more!


	14. Chapter 14

Hooray, an extra short chapter!

_Funny._

I don't own ToS.

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Chapter 14: Repercussions

Genis hadn't spoken once. Ever since the attack, he seemed almost mute, not responding to talk, but simply existing. He was sleeping in the infirmary now, across from Raine, who was once again bustling around. She leaned over a pale Zelos, who was lying on a cot next to Sheena. Raine was clearly exhausted, but she worked on, bandaging feverishly. Regal stepped forward. "Right," he said calmly. "I'm taking over; you look like you're going to fall asleep on your feet."

Raine's beleaguered brain sent a response to her lips. "N…no, I… couldn't."

Regal firmly guided Raine to the door. "You can, and you will. I can hold down the fort for a few hours, you need the rest."

Raine seemed to have a mental battle going on above her eyebrows. Pride or Rest? Pride or Rest? Pride… or…. Her brain was too tired to continue. She shuffled out the door. Regal winced as she bounced off the door frame. "Eh… Colette, can you make sure she gets back alright?"

Colette nodded, grabbing a half-asleep Raine by the elbow. The two of them left, Raine leaning rather heavily.

The solemn group sat on the hard benches, glancing at each other occasionally. Presea seemed unable to decide who to look at, Chris or Genis, as Chris was avoiding her gaze, and Genis wasn't really doing anything at all. She bit her lip again, something that was becoming a bit of a habit. The tense silence was all of a sudden broken.

"Can you not do that?" Presea looked over at Chris, who had spoken. "You're seriously going to bite right through your lip."

Presea released her teeth's hold on her lip, and looked over at Chris, who had apparently decided to look at her again. She started again in a slow voice. "Okay…" A pause. Then, "Can I talk to you?" She looked over at Regal, who was looking rather puzzled. "Alone?"

Kratos was ticked off. Not normal behavior for the "cool as a cucumber" mercenary. "What do you mean, YOU CAN'T FIND LLOYD?" Kratos shouted in indignation.

"I…I'm sorry sir…" the rather scared Cruxis employee choked out. "But… but his signature seems to have disappeared."

Kratos was suddenly struck by a thought. Toning his voice down, he turned to Bob (the employee) and took a sip of water, asking "How could a signature be lost?"

"Well," Bob replied cautiously, "The person could be dead," (Kratos spat water all over the floor) "or…" Bob continued, "The person could have… well… changed his blood type dramatically.

Kratos choked on his water once again, but avoided spilling it on the floor as he replied, "Blood type? What does that have to do with it?"

"Let me explain," Bob said. "Our system tracks human, elf, and half-elf bloods. If it doesn't show up on our system, it's either dead, or,"

Kratos interrupted. "Not… Human…."

Chris stood up and walked to the door. He stepped out, resting his back against the plaster wall. Presea followed, closing the door. Taking up a position across the hall, she stared back into his river-blue eyes. There was silence in the hall for a few moments. Presea looked as though she was going to say something, but she didn't, and just kept staring right into his eyes, as though hypnotized. Chris avoided her gaze for as long as possible, staring at the walls and ceiling. Eventually, however, the gravity of her eyes captured him, and he had to stare back. He noticed her eyes were filling with tears…

Chris's brain was screaming at him. "Move! Move! She betrayed you! Get out!" But those eyes were there, he stared at them, like crystals of blue. She had her arms around him now… How had that happened? The voices in his head faded to a buzz, and finally stopped, as Presea drew ever closer to him. He felt her warmth in his arms, and in that moment, Chris never wanted to let her go again. And then… He felt her soft, small lips against his cheek, and her beauty enveloped him. Then there was nothing… And he realized she had left his arms.

"I'm sorry," he heard her choke out. "Genis and I…I…" she trailed off.

Chris opened his eyes in a weary manner. "Presea… Don't do this… You have nothing to be sorry about. If you love Genis, fine. But don't split yourself… You don't deserve that." And with that, Chris walked off, leaving Presea alone once more.

Colette supported a staggering Raine as best as she could. Opening the door lightly, she dragged Raine over to her bed and watched her fall asleep instantly. Colette sat on a chair, exhausted from her efforts. She felt so numb… Attacks, people missing… and… what she saw… she couldn't shake them from her mind. And Lloyd… Colette felt weariness like she had never experienced before. It was overwhelming. Even not being able to sleep was nothing like what she experienced now. She glanced out the window at the now setting sun. Yawning widely, she slunk over to the bed opposite Raine and pulled the covers over her, falling into a dreamless sleep.

Regal finished dressing the wounds in his own efficient manner. He then silently walked over to the only unoccupied bed, sinking into it. Five more days… Then Mizuho's people will return… But could they last that long? He slept, troubles tormenting him in his dreams.

Kratos flapped harder, while those in the village slept. Must… Find… Trail… Only the most animal instincts got into his brain. He landed in the clearing once more. He whirled around. Which way did Cain go? He began searching feverishly. Lloyd's life might hang in the balance…

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I need inspiration! Review please, they help me a lot.

_That and not wearing socks._

Shh... My writing quirks must remain secret! Hit the button if you please!


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you all for your reviews. I'm glad to know my first real story has made such a good start...

_Although it could be better._

Are you ever going to be quiet?

_Not as long as you're alive._

Sigh... I don't own ToS

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Chapter 15: Decisions, Decisions

Morning came over the beleaguered troop of heroes. Chris cheered it on from his position on the window ledge. He hadn't slept a wink. Not since the attack… He had lost it in his sleep, he knew that now. The beast had broken loose, and that started the whole hellish charade. He stumbled off the ledge and down the stairs towards the infirmary, which was the unofficial meeting place these days. Regal was awake already, and he was tending to Genis, trying to get him to respond to stimuli. Chris watched the poking and prodding for a few moments. Regal stood with a sigh, and Chris took this as an opportunity to interject. "How is he?" he said with an accompanying yawn.

"Not good," Regal grimly replied. "None of them are… I just can't say for the life of me what caused these wounds. They won't heal properly…"

Chris's palms started sweating, but he kept his composure, frowning along with Regal.

"I don't suppose you saw what hit you?" Regal turned, facing Chris for the first time.

"Euh… Not really…" Chris squirmed under Regal's gaze. "I just was walking, and my lights went out. I didn't even know what I got hit with."

Regal nodded, looking towards the door as it opened once more. Colette was coming in, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She sat next to Chris, yawning widely. "Good morning," she uttered, still managing to sound cheery despite everything.

"How so?" Chris grimly muttered. Colette seemed a little put out by this, her small smile fading. "Sorry," Chris continued, feeling guilty. "I didn't mean that, it's just this whole thing… I just wish I could do something about it."

"But you can do something about it…" a little voice popped into Chris's head. "End it; it's not worth doing this." Chris groaned. He walked from the room to consult this new mental invader.

He walked over to his room, shutting the door behind him. "Who are you?" he said to nobody in particular.

"No," the voice said back. "Who are you? Are you Chris, friend of friends, dependable, trusting? Or are you the wolf, savage, strong, and merciless?"

"I'm both," Chris replied, head in his hands. "But I don't want to be… It's killing me."

"What is killing you?" The voice challenged. "Is it your inability to complete your mission? Or do you wish you never had this wolf side? It's your choice…" The voice faded, leaving a troubled, split mind in its wake.

Kratos finally discovered the path in the early morning. He followed Cain's trail, losing it several times. He grimaced, knowing each second was precious. Walking, walking, walking, it ached him. How he longed to fly… He spread his wings, indulging in the sentiment, if not the action. "Aren't those pretty," he heard the snarl. Then Cain was upon him.

Chris sat in the garden, fighting his inner demons, debating, questioning, but most of all, worrying. There were so many variables. Everything was wrong; nothing made sense, twisted, crazy… His mental battle was interrupted by the rest of the group joining him. Regal simply said, "If we want to survive we must stick together." He realized Chris wasn't really listening, so he sat down, and Colette, Raine, and Presea followed suit. Then they were interrupted by all hell breaking loose.

Kratos leaped, finding a clearing and sticking in the middle. He had a gash in his face from where Cain had ambushed him, but he was otherwise unharmed. He dimly realized that he was in Mizuho. So Lloyd was here… His thoughts were interrupted by not one, but two werewolves leaping out of the brush. Great. He twirled in a pirouette that dodged the swiping claws and jaws, and still managed to look cool. Despite the fact that it was a pirouette. Regardless, it is Kratos, after all. Speaking of whom, he had only just regained his balance when the lycanthropes came back for another disemboweling or perhaps decapitating attempt. Seemed to be both, as they were targeting separately. Stacked in tandem, they catapulted themselves towards him, slobbering nastily. Kratos pulled another quick dodge, and slammed the silver blade into one of the beasts. It turned out to be Cain, as the rapid de-transformation caused by the silver took affect. But the other was coming back already… there was no time. Kratos spun, tracking the other beast with his eyes. It took a wide loop, and came charging back. Kratos parried a killing strike to the chest, and for a moment, the eyes of the beast came very close to his. Kratos looked, unable to help himself. They were Lloyd's eyes… The sword shook, and dropped. The wolf seemed to have similar thoughts, whimpering and shrinking into a small ball.

Silence. Kratos was stunned. A novel experience for everyone present. It was all too much for the people present. Except for one. Regal sprinted over to the downed man. "Cain!" he roared, closing the distance quickly. Cain heard the voice, getting up slowly.

"Hello, Mr. Bryant," the older man quietly responded. Then, he was knocked out instantly by a flying foot.

Regal looked down at the old man, utter contempt in his eyes. "Now…" he said quietly, "You DIE!"

"NO!!!" came the entirely unexpected scream. Chris came flying out of nowhere, cracking Regal over the head with his helmeted one. Regal dropped like a stone.

The group was awestruck. Colette had tears in her eyes already. "Chris," she screamed out, "What did you do?"

Chris looked back at the silent group. "I'm sorry," he whispered out. "I'm not who you think I am."

And the transformation began…

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Thank you again for reading. Please review. For your information... The next chapter will be the final one. Give me all your advice, criticism and praise, so I can make it the most epic chapter yet.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: A Final Goodbye

Bodies were strewn all over the battlefield. Regal lay unconscious, Cain next to him, mute and unresponsive. Chris was unaware of the destruction, as bloodlust slowly built up within him. He growled, striking a primal fear into all the shocked witnesses. The fearsome claws extended, jaws clashed terribly. The battlefield seemed frozen, no sound breaking the impenetrable silence. Until Kratos came to his senses. He twirled, facing the beast, his face streaked with mud, blood seeping from a head wound. "You did this… TO MY SON!" He screamed out. Rage overwhelmed both of the fighters, and Kratos charged, silver sword held aloft. A slice, two, and Chris was down for the count. The silver sword did its work well, causing the hair to rapidly recede.

Chris realized what was about to happen. His bestial soul cried out, realizing its death was at hand. Chris realized and accepted this… He had done so much wrong…

A dull thud echoed across the field. A neck was severed. The silver blade lifted, its work done.

Kratos watched Cain's head roll. He sheathed his sword, and quickly stepped over, placing a boot on Chris's neck. "The only reason," he snarled out, "You aren't dead, is because I know that this wasn't your fault. But if you lay a hand on my son again…" He let the sentence hang.

Chris nodded, shocked at the fact that he was still alive. The foot lifted, and Chris rose with it, rushing over to the dead man. "Cain…" he whispered out… "Father…"

"Wrong," Regal spat out as he regained consciousness. "This man is not your father. He is a cruel imitation." Regal frowned as he cast his memories back. "He brought about the death of your real parents."

"No…" Chris couldn't comprehend this, his voice shook. "That can't be…"

"Why would I lie?" Regal said, voice growing softer. "I have no reason to. He is dead now..."

Thoughts whirled around Chris's head. "So… What happens now?"

Kratos answered. "Cain was the alpha male. If legend is correct, the death of the pack leader usually causes the entire pack to become normal humans."

Chris frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Well…"

"Never mind, I'll check." Chris sat, looked deep inside himself. Was there anything there? Any trace or sign? He called for the wolf, deep inside him. Nothing. He was finally cured. Finally.

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Thank you very much for reading "Love through Lycanthropy." I hope you enjoyed reading it. 

Feel free to check out my newest story, Soul Splitting, which can be reached through my homepage. Please send me any final reviews.

And in the words of The Doors...

This is the end...


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